The second generation Moto X (marketed as moto X) is an Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility. Released on September 5, 2014, it is the successor to the original Moto X released in 2013.

The second generation model improves on the original model with a higher quality design incorporating a metal frame and optional leather or wood rear covers, along with improved internal specifications such as a quad-core processor and 1080p display.

Specifications

Hardware

The second generation Moto X has a design similar to the previous model with a curved rear, but now features an aluminium frame, a front-facing mono speaker, and a set of infrared motion sensors. Its internal hardware was also upgraded, incorporating a 5.2 inch (13 cm) 1080p Super AMOLED pentile display, a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 system-on-chip with 2 GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera with support for recording 4K resolution video, and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage. The 13-megapixel rear-facing camera is encircled with a clear ring that houses its pair of LED flashes; the ring generates light refraction, which is intended to improve flash performance.

As with the previous model, users will be able to custom-order a Moto X with their choice of colors for the body (black or white), speaker/microphone grilles, and the rear cover—including plastic, wood, and, new for the second generation model, leather materials provided by the Horween Leather Company via Motorola's Motomaker website. As of October, 2014 the Moto X has 25 back options (17 plastic, 4 leather and 4 real wood), 2 front color options, 10 trim color options and 2 memory size options (16-GB and 32-GB). This works out to 1,000 possible configurations that can be selected via Motomaker.

Like the original Moto X, the new version is customized in Fort Worth, Texas, though the plant is scheduled to close at the end of 2014; in May 2014, Motorola announced it would close the Fort Worth plant it had used to construct Moto X smartphones domestically due to high operational costs. Similarly to the iPhone 4, the frame of the phone serves as its antenna; the device optimizes antenna usage to ensure that it does not lose cellular reception if it is held in certain ways.

Software

The second generation Moto X ships with Android 4.4.4 "KitKat", using a mostly stock user experience with additional, proprietary software features; the voice-activated personal assistant Moto Voice (formerly Touchless Control) now includes additional commands (such as those for launching selected apps, providing instructions for navigating to a location, toggling sleep mode by saying "Good morning", taking selfies, etc.) and the ability to change the spoken phrase used to open the assistant. The device's infrared sensors can be used for motion-activated gestures, such as invoking Moto Display (formerly Active Notifications) when the phone is sleeping, and for dismissing alarms and incoming calls. The camera software incorporates a "best shot" mode, a voice-activated shutter, along with a "Highlight Reel" generator.

Motorola has committed to providing an update to Android 5.0 "Lollipop" following its release.

Variants

The 2nd Gen Moto X has several variants to support 3G and 4G networks of different carriers: